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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · track · pit · arm · press · branch · safe · field

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — farmland
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pit — in a race
  9. press — newspapers
  10. field — for sport
  11. fall — the season
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fall — to drop
  15. track — a path
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. branch — a division
  18. pit — a hole
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. press — a publisher
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com